What ever happened to Sepatakraw and Noy Insiong?

As a kid growing up I was never the athletic type in fact when I was in kinder 2 I was hospitalized for almost a month because of frequent asthma attacks… I was a kid in the 80’s and in this era we do a lot of running and more physical play unlike today, kids are into PSP’s, PS, Nintendo and Online games. Gone are the days for the Siatong (a stick game), Luthang (using a bamboo and a wet water for ammunition), Bala Tansan (a wooden form of gun which uses a bottle cap for bullets which by the way evolved into Air soft..hehehe) and my favorite game the Takyan ( uses a straw for its feathers and a circle thingy for it’s base which is more like a replica of a shuttle cock). I went to school in an all boys institution and a student who doesn’t know how to play takyan is more likely labeled as a weakling or a boy who rather plays Barbie dolls and collects stationery (do I have to elaborate more?). So I was desperate and needed a mentor… And then Noy Insiong came…Noy Insiong was a 70 year old guy who prefers to walk rather than riding a jeepney. He was our gardener and he would walk kilometers just to be in our house. It was my first time to see a 70 year old guy doing a takyan for 100 times without missing. He taught me some tricks and told me to focus more on the takyan… (its kinda funny reminiscing this one..) And so takyan got me into sepatakraw.

Sepatakraw is a sport using a wooden ball with some similarity to badminton’s mechanics only you use your head (literally) and every part of your legs. It’s a very competitive sport which it’s glitters slowly fading away. Maybe it’s just not that in for this basketball world country… or kids lost interest since they rather play DOTA…Noy Insiong stop doing our garden since fire broke out in our house last 1997.. And until now I never heard single news of him… Just makes me wonder… What ever happened to Sepatakraw andNoy Insiong?

I have been searching for a long time for the instructions for make Luthang! I don’t know if this message will get to you, but if you can help me find instructions or if you can tell me how to make luthang, I will be very thankfull! What is the other toy you mention here: Bala Tansan? How do you make this also?

I have children here that would love this type of toy! I think the more dangerous the toy, the more responsible the man becomes, (Or woman!)

LUTHANG is a very simple toy to make. It is basically a plunger operated pneumatic gun constructed by using a small diameter bamboo section about 12-16 inches or so which serves as the luthang barrel or cylinder. The plunger/pusher is just a solid wooden stick or another bamboo with a handle. The outside diameter of the plunger/pusher stick should be very close in size to the inside diameter of the luthang barrel and should be able to slide freely in and out when inserted. The part of the plunger assembly should have an insertable section that is about half an inch shorter than the total length of the luthang barrel. The unexposed section of the plunger stick is fitted to a handle of any appropriate size you want. The projectile is just a wetted piece of paper formed into a small ball that can be inserted somewhat tightly fitting into the barrel by using the plunger. To prepare the luthang for firing, an initial wetted paper projectile have to be first pushed into the barrel all the way to the end. That’s the reason why the insertable part of the plunger have to be about half an inch shorter because you do not want that “projectile” to be pushed out of the barrel during loading of this initial plug/projectile. The next step is to insert a second wetted paper projectile into the barrel but only about 2 inches or so from the breech end (the end that will be closest to the shooter). Pointing the barrel at an intended target and giving the plunger a forceful sudden push all the way to the hilt of the handle would create a sudden air pressure rise inside the barrel space trapped by the two inserted wetted paper projectiles. The resulting high air pressure will make the forward projectile pop out of the barrel at a very high speed just like in an air rifle with a similar sounding loud POP. The previous rear projectile that was inserted by the plunger will now stay at the forward part of the barrel ready to be fired as soon as another wetted paper projectile is insert at the breech end just like the way you have previously done.
If bamboo is not availble in your area, you can use any small size PVC pipe or whatever that is available to serve as a barrel. Even an aluminum tube with a smooth bore will work fine. Just use your imagination with whatever material is available to serve as alternative construction materials for the barrel and plunger. For an alternative projectile you can also use unripe fruits (like a papaya fruit meat or a chunk of raw potato meat) that can be inserted with a moderately tight air sealing fit inside your chosen barrel.
Enjoy!

If you want to make a luthang that can take advantage of the dieseling effect when oil and air is suddenly compressed, you would need to have a very tight fitting projectile/plug and some oil residue contained in the barrel space. The barrel have to be dry and strong since dieseling can create very high pressures that can burst your barrel if it’s constructed from flimsy materials. Seach for “fire piston” to learn more about dieseling of air/oil mix when suddenly compressed in a confined space.